Laugh Your Sockets Off!

M has just been cracking me up tonight!

She started off with writing me a get well card. (I have strep throat, ick!) Paraphrasing would not do it justice so enjoy the full version:

"Dear Mom,

 You have been the best mom. But when your sick your not the best because you don't give as much attention cause your in bed all the time and were alone. Hope you feel better!"

Truly kidcentric- get well soon, cuz you need to take care of me!

Then, she came in from playing outside with her friend and told me that she and her friend had seen something soooo funny that they "laughed their sockets off!"

Finally, during a commercial for Captain D's (for my Cali family that's a fast food southern seafood joint out here) they were advertising their hushpuppies and M asked "Mom, what are hushpuppies?" I replied, "They're delicious fried cornmeal goodness." "Oh," Mer said, "So they're not really puppies?"

If laughter really is the best medicine, I'll be better in no time!

A child by any other name should have good teeth??

Last week I took both the kids to the dentist for their six month check up and got quite a shock. Sweetie N had not one, not two, but six cavities! I have treated his teeth exactly the same as M's but she has none! Now that I think about it though, N's teeth are definitely much closer together...he lacks that good old Hutchings front tooth gap ;)

We've had two of them fixed and will go in for the others in a few weeks. He got giggle gas (nitrous) and novocaine and it all went suprisingly well, although he told me afterwards, "Mom the dentist's was NOT fun," as if he was expecting Disneyland. He left with a tooth brushing goodie bag, a plastic dinosaur toy and a red balloon...

Most expensive balloon I ever bought!

Here's to flossing your kids teeth!!!

A little love your way

Sweethearts

 Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

This morning I woke the kids up with heart shaped pancakes and they each had their own box of Valentine's chocolates at their place settings. I would've gone for some raspberry syrup, too but let's face it....they'd never eat it! Now I'm off to the store to get the ingredients to make my hubby his favorite, annual, Valentine's cheesecake!

Hope your day is full of love! 

Oooh Lolli Lollipops!

M and Maria in the lobby

Yesterday, M and I had our second arts event of the year to attend (our first was the Children's Theater The Borrowers last month.) We went uptown to the see the Charlotte Symphony in one performance of their family friendly concert series, Lollipops. This performance was called A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra and it was the perfect companion to the book we read in November for homeschool called The Orchestra. The performance first introduced all the different pieces of the orchestra by type of instrument (woodwind, brass, etc) and did so while playing songs of The Beatles. We heard Yellow Submarine, Magical Mystery Tour, Penny Lane, and more. Later on, each individual instrument was also highlighted from clarinet and piccolo to bassoon and trombone. Peppered in were also short pieces by contemporary composers and throughout was narration by local news anchor Maureen O'Boyle.

Outside the theater in the blustery air

My favorite part though was the featured violin soloist Caroline Campbell who performed half way through. She had flown in from L.A. to perform in Charlotte for the weekend and had even turned down a last minute request to perform with Paul McCartney at the Grammy's tonight to keep her engagement here. She came out like a goddess in a floor length gold lamee gown with flowing hair and bare feet. The way she swayed and danced and moved with her violin as if she and her instrument were one was truly breathtaking.



The was our first, but definitely not our our last trip to the symphony!

[I tried to get more pictures of M and I but in the Bank of America Center I got in trouble by the security guard who told me there were no photos allowed. Really?? Leave it to me to get in trouble at the symphony. Sheesh.]

This Little Light of Mine

This is a big year for M as she is initiated into two more sacraments of the church- Reconciliation and Communion. In late January she celebrated First Reconciliation. It was a different kind of ceremony than the one I celebrated as a 2nd grader. When I received the sacrament it was within the context of my small 2nd grade class back at Mount Carmel. Our class processed in together to join our families and sang prepared song. We also had these great paper pinafores we had made that said "I am Sorry" on the front and "I am Forgiven" on the back. After we went into the confessional- the old fashioned kind with kneelers and red velvet curtains- we came out and in front of the congregation turned our pinafore to the forgiven side with a big grin.

My First Reconciliation- February 1987

M's was a bit more tame. Our church is so big, that the ceremony ran more like the penance services that church's hold at Advent and Lent. About 6 area priests were there set up around the edges with two chairs and a candle. The children took turns going to the nearest priest and after they said their penance prayers the families were free to go.

After the ceremony M and I stopped off at Ben and Jerry's for nice big ice cream cones and I was pleased to see we weren't the only 7 year olds and grown ups there. I am sure the staff was wondering why the sudden rush for a rainy evening ice cream cone, but we Catholics all know that there is nothing like ice cream after a good confession:)

My beautiful daughter of God.

As Goggie, Oma and Opa's card to M said, "Shine on beautiful child of God. Shine on!"

Punxsutawney Daffodils

This past Tuesday was Groundhog Day, and as most of you know our dear old Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and ran back frightened into his home to wait out 6 more weeks of winter. Well, here in Charlotte we had nothing to be scared of! The day was a glorious 70 degree masterpiece. The kids and I walked to school and were accompanied by robins gaily searching for worms, chikadees and wrens flitting about, and we even spotted a downy woodpecker foraging in the trees for some breakfast. The best surprise of the day, though was spotting these early February daffodils growing wild in the woods behind the condo. N and I braved the old rosebush thorns to bring this beauty of a boquet home to grace our kitchen.

If this is winter...we'll take it!

Christmas Card Outtakes

Thanks for the idea CrazyCampbells!!

You know everyone has them... the photos that just didn't make the cut. Here's some of my favorites.

First Day Back at School

As most of you know the kids and I embarked on a homeschooling journey this fall. I'm proud to say that through it I learned much about my children and got to share a closeness with them and develop a rapport that I have not had before. But, for as much as we liked it when it came down to it M just really likes going to school. She always has. As she told me, "I like learning at home, but I like learning with friends better."  Part of me thinks we didn't give it enough of a chance, but my gut feeling is that this is what is right for my whole family right now. And, lucky for me "teaching" my kids doesn't get to end. Little N still has a year and a half until Kindergarten, and I've got a bookshelf bulging with the best "living books" I could find. So cheers for bookophilia!!

Some New Definitions...Thanks to M & N

Scrapping (v)- A musical style on which most of the words are spoken in a fast, rhyming, melodic manner. Some of M's favorite scrapping occurs in songs such as D.J. Got Us Falling in Love and Tonight.

Dext (n)- The place where one sits to do homework, read lessons, and text on their iPod.

Bathtize (v)- The Initiation Rite in which a Christian has water poured over them and the "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" is called down to make them a new person in God. See also "John the Bathtist."

Oopsie the Daisy (ph)- A colloquial phrase that means "uh-oh"; commonly known to get most adorable four year olds out of trouble.

Part time angels

Brightly Wrapped Presents Christmas

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View the entire collection of cards.

And to think, she once refused to go upside down!

So my little M is an acro lover (that's short for acrobatics.) She takes classes at the studio where I work, and she practices all the time. She got her standing backbend after just a few weeks of class. She has just mastered the "kickover" which means she's just one more step away from a back walkover. A little more fluidity and she's there! Check out this video of her practicing in the living room.
And to think, this is the girl who refused to turn upside down at birth!

Sneakin Around in Her Pink Sneakers

Well, not actually sneaking. More like running and scootin' up a storm and letting them rest on her bunkbed while she sleeps.
It was time to get M a new pair of sneakers and we decided that she needed a tie pair because, well how else was she ever going to learn how to tie her shoes? And an aside here - there are not many tie options out there anymore. We just assume our kids cannot do it, or sadder, we don't have the time or the patience to wait for them. But either way, Target had only a couple of true tie tennis shoes. The first pair I found were perfect. Pink, low top sparkle star Converse One-Stars. Yes!
Only problem is they were the display pair with no other shoe like it in sight, no price, and no box. Turns out not a problem at all. We got them at a sale price since they couldn't locate the true price.

Any sage advice out there on the method for teaching her? Big N suggested the bunny ears way may be best, but I've never done it that way and find it difficult so I'm going with the old loop around method.
Any good rhymes come to mind?

Children Teaching Parents

We had another whirlwind day today. I was at work until five, then drove to the Y (stopping off at the grocer's) to meet Momma H who was waiting with LittleN outside of M's dance class. So, it was bathtime before I realized she was wearing some foreign hair adornment. This is nothing new. She has been coming home with traded gifts/headbands/schoolwork since day one of pre-K. Usually she is pretty savvy and does not trade but merely accepts other girl's gifts. I'm not sure precisely how this plays out, but she still has friends so she musn't be a bully.

In her stocking for Christmas this year, M got a nice rhinestone Hello Kitty headband. It came from Southpark and was not cheap, but Santa decided she really needed to have it. Since I know what Santa spent on a 5 yo's headband, I was especially neurotic that she would give this one away.

So, bathtime tonight I notice the contraband flimsy plastic polka dot headband and unfamiliar clip in her hair and ask, knowing answer, "Honey, where did you get that?"

"From MK."
"The clip. too?"
"No, that is from C."
"Did you trade, or did they give it to you?"
"Um"
"What did you give them?"
"Not both of them, just MK"
"Gave them what? (head whips around to her hair supply stash)"
"My Christmas one."

I was really annoyed when I heard this. I had made a point of telling her I knew Santa spent a lot of money on it and she needed to keep it for herself. It's not enough to lose jackets and stain clothes, she has to give her nice new things away, too!"

When she saw how frustrated and unhappy I was about her decision she reacted instantaneously with such honesty and truth:

"But Mom, I love my friend more than my headband."

Out of the mouth's of babes...

New Year, New Posts

Happy 2010.
This year will hopefully be about routine and normalcy (whatever that is.)
As you know, I started a new job over the holidays. I am back in a M-F 8-5 job which I have not had in a while. This will allow me to go to school on Tues/Thurs nights at Belmont Abbey College. Incidentally, I am taking classes at the school's satellite campus- Charlotte Catholic H.S. Yes, my alma mater. I will graduate college-from my high school.

M LOVES Kindergarden and is excelling all around - especially in reading and writing. She loves to make books. She will staples several sheets of printer paper together and get going with a cover, title, table of contents and pictures. She asks for help with some spelling but we try and let her sound everything out. Her favorite song right now is Fireflies by Owl City. It's super cute.

N is busy being a boy. He loves transportation right now. Trains, planes, cars, rockets. Actually, anything can zoom through the sky and fly if he has a mind to do it. We played bat the other day (despite the cooooold weather) and he is awesome. He can really smack the ball sometimes. Once, right before we pitched he turned around and spat on the ground. How do boys know to do this? His favorite song right now is Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. I know. It's catchy though and he likes the part where she growls a bit (Roma, roma-a-a-a-a.)



If this photo looks reminiscient it's b/c it came from the same November library photo shoot that our Xmas card picture came from.

Have a blessed New Year.

Rewind from this summer

NoJo at Chuck E Cheese
Can you believe these things cost a quarter?

Definition

Sprainkle (v): To injure oneself by falling or banging an extremity, causing short lived though severe pain to the affected region as evidenced by tight gripping and yowls. As in "Ow, I sprainkled my arm."

Also Known As: M's interpretation of "sprained ankle," a phrase I hastily applied to a stumble she had involving the stairs, her ankle, and pain. Sprainkled is now applied copiously to any pain she receives as defined above. Her father and I try not to giggle too much as she takes offense at our flippancy towards her pain.

Sucker Punched

Last night, right before bedtime, N was standing at my knees between the couch and the coffee table when he went over like a felled tree. Out of the blue just 'boom!' He smacked his mouth on the table and cut the inside of his lip real good with his tooth. With the both of us covered in blood- head wounds bleed a lot- I held him tight and iced his mouth. Here is how he looked by 11pm as he lay sleeping, peacefully beside me.

The next generation

So on Sunday M and Air-on both did a couple hilarious things. It started out during service (church) at Momma H and Pap's church that morning. The children were called up for a short message before the readings took place. Having just been the fourth of July the day before the message involved freedom. To illustrate this, an American flag was on the altar. When the woman speaking with the children asked what the flag was for M quickly raised her hand and responded: "For Obama." Which is great, except I've paid attention to the bumper stickers in the church parking lot. They don't a one say Obama.
Then, afterward at breakfast I was looking at the weekly entertainment magazine for movie times. On the cover was a picture of Michael Jackson circa Jackson 5, with his name and dates written. That's when A asked, "Aunt Gwen, why does that picture say Michael Jackson on it?" "Because it's a painting of Michael Jackson from when he was a boy." "Aunt Gwen, Michael Jackson wasn't black."
LOL LOL LOL
That was a fun one to try and explain. Actually, I challenge any one of you to imagine explaining MJ's life to a 5-9 year old.

Fourth of July

The fourth here was great. Big N was off work, which is good cuz restaurants are s-l-o-w that night. We had Justin and his two kids over for a quick cookout. That was interesting. In addition to our two kids we had Justin's two, and cousin Air-on who is here for the week. So we had a ten year old and four under 5yrs all kinda screaming and coating themselves in cheetoh's and asking for different beverages and "How many more bites do I need to have," all while in a rush to make the fireworks. Wow, Mom. You did that every day.
Anyway, We headed down to S.C. to the minor baseball league stadium and parked the pick-up truck just outside the stadium. We had awesome seats and the fireworks were first class AND it was well organized so we got out of there quickly afterwards. The best part though, has got to be little N. He was thrilled from the get go with the "bonus" fireworks we could see in the distance. Every one was followed by an "OH! OH!" All two of you who were at the zoo with us and remember him with the sea lions...well it was that but more so! He also immediately made up a sign for fireworks. Punching me in the face. Yeah. So in the seconds in between fireworks, he punched me in the cheek. Actually, it wasn't hard, but it got belly laughs out of everyone.
Happy Independence Day, ya'll.

Random Mer-isms

- "Dad, I can see your fur." (speaking of his chest hair.)
- " Mom, look.... frosting! (about the frost on the rooftops and grass.)
- "I like my leprachaun." (Yeah, her harmonica.)
Oh, and her cousin Aaron, his name is pronounced Air-on. He sounds like a superhero- and to her, he is one.